1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to buoyant water-walking apparatus and more particularly to such apparatus which includes a pair of elongated, buoyant water-walker assemblies adapted for attachment to the respective feet of a user for the purpose of supporting the weight of the user in water and enabling him to propel himself over the water while in a standing position.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
Many previous efforts have been made to provide a suitable buoyant water-walking apparatus for the purpose of supporting the weight of a user and enabling him to propel himself across the surface of the water. Such apparatuses have generally taken the form of a pair of elongated, buoyant, water-walker members adapted for attachment to the respective feet of the user. Disclosures of such water-walking apparatuses are found, for example, in the patents to Sheldon, U.S. Pat. No. 1,384,354; Meredith, U.S. Pat. No. 1,533,023; Stephens, U.S. Pat. No. 2,482,074; Fournier, U.S. Pat. No. 2,940,090; Wheat, U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,356; Carlton, U.S. Pat. No. 3,112,504; Plumley, U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,892; Livaudais, U.S. Pat. No. 3,242,898; Davis et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,566,427; Fairchild, U.S. Pat. No. 3,601,828; La Rocca, U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,624; Mabuchi, U.S. Pat. No. 3,609,782; and Senghas, U.S. Pat. No. 3,621,500.
The foregoing prior art devices all suffer from the common defect of being commercially unsatisfactory because of their constructional design features. Further, these prior art devices do not possess flexibility with respect to accomodating users of various weights. A further shortcoming of the prior art devices disclosed in the foregoing patents is that efficient keels which facilitate straight tracking with a minimum of side-slip have not been provided. Moreover, the prior art retard devices have not performed in a completely satisfactory fashion.